Circular knit hosiery and method of making same



I H. N. SHEPPARD CIRCULAR KNIT HOSIERY AND METHOD OF MAKING Sm:

Shets-Siheet 1 Nov. 18, 1947.

- Filed June is, 1946 EU v - Invn'i'ar I HARRY N. SHEPPARD 53: his 222a rn e 9 Nov. 1 8, 1947. H. N. SHEPPARD CIRCULAR KNIT HdSIERY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 15, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 nveni'or ,HAR RY N- SHEPPARD Nbv. 18, 1947. SHEPPARD I 7 2,431,204

CIRCULAR KNIT HOSIERF! AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Fil dAJune 13, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet s LONG BUTT 49 SHORT BUTT AUX. JACKS fn veniar, HARRYWN. SHEPPARD 2 72219 al'r'larn e518 MAM- AUX. JA CKS Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2'? CIRCULAR KNIT HOSIERY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Harry N. Shep ard, Maplewood, N. J assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application J1me 46, Serial No. 676,526 s 15, Claims. (01. 66-487) This invention relates to circular knit hosiery ance with the above-mentioned Sheppard patent, and method of making same, and more particuwhere very fine denier yarns are used in the inlarly to the structure of the heel. The stocking step of the stocking, it sometimes happens that is adapted to be made on circular knitting mathe stocking breaks at the heel at the point 58 chines having independent needles and in which 5 opposite the instep on the suture line between there is relative rotary and reciprocatory movethe first and second narrowed gussets. While ment of the needles and knitting cams. The the separation of the inner ends of the sutures stocking may be one with a low heel, as shown, on each side of the intermediate gusset H serves for example, in the reissue patent to Robert W. to distribute the strain normally found at the Scott No. 16,795, dated November 22, 1927, and inner end of the single suture of a plain circular more specifically is an improvement on the patent knit heel, I have found a way in which the sutures for Circular knit hosiery and method of making of the heel thus can be concatenated so as to same, granted to Harry N. Sheppard on Novemprovide the maximum strength at the points her 6, 1945, No. 2,388,649. where needed.

The object of the invention is to strengthen It will be seen that the heel shown in Fig. 2 the heel of the stocking at the inner ends of the of the said Sheppard patent involves the use of gussets, and more particularly at the inner ends heavy yarns in the knitting of the heel and light of the suture lines joining the gussets. As shown yarns in the knitting of the instep side of the in the above-rnentioned Sheppard patent, the stocking. It willalso be seen that along the heel here in question comprises a plurality of upper edge of this heel where the transition from adjacent tapered gussets arranged one below the the heavy to the light yarn occurs, there is no other, each extending to the strengthening line of stitches formed from a continuous yarn courses referred to below, i. e., contiguous to the uniting the inner ends of the two sutures; nor instep fabric. Each course in the gussets conis there any line of stitches formed from a contains less than half the wales in the leg of the tinu-ous heavy yarn extending beyond all the stocking. One of the intermediate gussets exsutures tovdistribute the strain ordinarily found tends further into the instep than the gusset at the ends of sutures. In accordance with my above it, whereby the inner ends of the sutures invention there are provided say two courses of on each side of this intermediate gusset are sepstitches knit in integral succession extending arated. It is characteristic of the invention that around the entire heel side of the stocking and two or more strengthening courses are provided slightly ey nd t last Suture On each Sidearound the top of the heel, extending shortly These stitches being knit reciprocatorily, are'not beyond the end of the lowest of the gussets on only each formed of a continuous heavy thread each side, thereby strengthening the fabric bebut the thread doubles back on itself at the inner tween the two separated inner ends of the suture 5 ends of the sutures, as can be seen, for example, lines above-mentioned. in Fig, 3. I have found by careful test that pro In the drawings: tective courses thus located and interknit with Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of one side of the sutures and upper ends of the gussets serve the foot of a stocking made in accordance with to unite the inner ends of the sutures and disthis invention, the heavy line around the top of 0 tribute the strains at the ends of the sutures in the heel representing the protective courses, and a most desirable manner. the other heavy lines in the heel representing The heel shown in Fig. 1 will be described the Suture lines; as if containing four tapered gussets. It will Figure 2 is a somewhat similar diagrammatic be described as if the stocking were being knit view of a specific stocking similar to Fig. 1, omitfrom top to toe. Reading from the top down ting the lines which diagrammatically represent which is the order in which they are knit-the the wales of the stocking but showing the nutop gusset is a widened gusset 2! which serves merical relations of the various suture lines and as a tapered high splice for the heel. Next comes needles used to make them in one embodiment the first of the narrowed gussets which is identif the Stocking; fied by the reference numeral 8; then the second Figure 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of narrowed or intermediate gusset ll and a final the interlacing of the stitches along one side of widened gusset l9. Prior to the knitting of the the upper edge of the heel of the stocking of first widened gusset, my two reinforcing courses s. 1 and 2, the number of stitches in the vari- 3 and 4 are knit extending from the point 16 to one parts of the heel being much less than in an the point I! down to the point I 8 and further actual stocking; while along each side of the stocking to a point be- Figure 4 is a diagrammatic layout of the butts yond where the last or bottom widened gusset of the needles and jacks used in making the is located. This final gusset is adjacent the sole stocking heel indicated in Fig. 2. of the stocking. The tapered high splice widened When making fine-gauge stockings in accordgusset 2|, like all the other gussets in the heel,

is knit reciprocatorily beginning on the needles extending from point I6 at the back of the stocking to point IT on each side Where the taper is to begin. The whole gusset is knit by reciprocatory knitting, widening as the knitting progresses from point I 1 to point I8 along the inner end of the gusset. This point I8 is at the inner end of the first narrowed segment. Thus it will be seen that as far as concerns the widened gusset II, the suture which is formed between points I1 and I8 in knitting this gusset reciprocatorily, is knit directly to the second or lower of the through protective courses, namely, the course 4.

After the widened gusset 2| has been finished, the first narrowed gusset 8 is knit, followed by the second narrowed gusset II. The longest course in the widened gusset 2| contains a lesser number of wales than half of the number of wales in the leg 2 of the stocking, and the first narrowed gusset 8 begins its knittin on the maximum number of needles used in the widened gusset 2 I. When the reciprocatory knitting, with gradually decreasing number of needles in the active segment, has completed the suture I2 and interknit stitches with the strengthening course 6, it becomes time to start formation of the second narrowed gusset II. As described in the said Sheppard patent, there are more wales in this second gusset II than in the first narrowed gusset 8, and there are also more courses in gusset II. To bring this about, the knitting of the second gusset is varied from that of the first narrowed gusset 8 as follows.

In knitting the first course of the second narrowed gusset II, the stitches are knit along the entire length of the suture I2 and the additional stitches extending across the gap 9 between the point I8 of suture I2 and the inner end of suture I on the foot side of the segment II. These stitches across the gap are united directly to the stitches of the continuous protective course 4. When the reciprocatory knitting of the gusset I I reaches the course corresponding to the lower end of the suture l2 between gussets II and 8, the reciprocatory knitting proceeds further by means of extra courses which cause extra narrowing and the gusset I I therefore has both more wales and more courses than the narrowed gusset 8. The advantages of this gusset are set forth in the above-mentioned Sheppard patent, but it may be noted that there is no suture joining the inner ends of the sutures I2 and I5 and that the strain at that point in my improved stocking is taken largely by the continuous protective courses 3 and 4.

Thereafter a final gusset I9 is knit in much the same manner as the third gusset of Fig. 1 of the said Sheppard patent, with widenin at the inner ends of the active segments of the needles to give a suture 20 whose direction is a direct continuation of a line extending from the point I8 to the suture I5. This suture 20, of course, is directly knit to the second continuous protective course 4. As shown in Fig. 1, the protective courses 3 and 4 extend beyond the end of the suture 20 towards the foot, a matter of a few stitches. This extension prevents formation of objectionable eyelets.

Turning now to Fig. 3 of the drawings, in order that the strengthening effect of my novel courses may be clearer, it will be seen that the leg fabric 2 is knit of light yarn and my new continuous protective courses are knit of heavy yarn, as is the case with all the other yams in the heel proper. The yarns used to knit the widened gusset 2| and the first narrowed gusset 8 are shown in heavy, solid lines, while the stitches forming the second narrowed gusset I I are shown 5 in dash lines. The few courses of the widened gusset I9 which are shown are in solid, heavy lines, and the light yarns used in the foot are shown by means of a few light stitches connected to this widened gusset I9. As already mentioned, the number of stitches in Fig, 3 is very much reduced, for the sake of clarity, from those which actually exist in the stocking, but it can be seen that my continuous protective courses carry across from the first narrowed gusset 8 to the widened gusset I9 and extend beyond that widened gusset a couple of stitches in the diagrammatic view of this figure, so that strains are distributed properly and the two suture lines are interconnected or concatenated so as to help each other take up the strain, by means of heavy yarns which protect them from a concentration of strain at one point.

lhe manner of manipulation of the needles of a circular knitting machine to produce such a heel will next be described in connection with Fig. 2 of the drawings and the patent to Albert E. Page No. 1,841,205, dated January 12, 1932, referred to in the Sheppard Patent 2,388,649, above mentioned. Assume that the stocking is being knit from top to toe and that the machine is all set for the necessary yarn changes going into the heel. The main rack on the pattern drum going into the heel first takes place, and the usual raising cam raises out of action all needles on the half of the cylinder corresponding to the instep of the stocking, These needles are ones with the two longest lengths of butts, namely, the .338 inch butt needles and the .390 inch butt needles. As can be seen by reference to Fig. 4, the .338 needles are divided into a central group and a lateral group beyond each .390 group. On the same rack of the main pattern drum an auxiliary butt jack raising cam (not shown) moves into action against the long butt jacks which are located 45 under fourteen .300 butt needles located adjacent the end group of .338 needles on the left side of the cylinder and the long butt jacks which are located under twelve .300 butt needles located adjacent the end group of .338 needles on the 50 right side of the cylinder. The twelve and fourteen .300 butt needles are raised by the long butt auxiliary jack far enough so that as the cylinder continues to turn they contact and are raised further by an auxiliary needle raising cam (not 55 shown) which lifts them to the inactive level alongside the needles raised by the usual raising cam. The needles thus raised by the two means together are marke Group 1 in Fig. 4.

It will be observed that the only needles now 60 left in action are those from point it on one side where the novel reinforcing courses end, to the similar point on the other side going around the back of the stocking. It will also be noted that by means of jack selection it has been possible 65 to start the protective courses in the middle of the group of .300 butt needles. These courses are knit beginning with the first reciprocation of the needle cylinder. On the first reverse reciprocation oi the needle cylinder, the left picker 7 pick raises one .300 butt needle out of action, and the remainder of the needles which are active, namely, those on the heel side minus the twelve and fourteen .300 butt needles in Group I, knit the first protective course 8. On the first for- 75 ward movement of the needle cylinder, the right lifter pick raises one .300 butt needle and the protective course 4 is knit on the remaining needles.

The machine now prepares to make the widened gusset M. It is first necessary to raise out of action all the remaining needles except those from point it to point ll on each side. Thus the needles to be put out of action at this time constitute the two sets marked Group 2, namely, the balance of the .300 butt needles and the .270 butt needles. These needles lie between points a and h, as marked in Fig. 4. The raising of the needles of the left Group 2 as viewed in this figure is initiated by short butt auxiliary jacks, and completed by an auxiliary needle raising cam. The needles of Group 2 on the right of the figure are raised by the left gusset raising cam (not shown). This raises all the needles comprising Group 2. The left gusset raising cam and the auxiliary butt pattern jack and needle raising cams are Withdrawn at the end of a forward stroke by a short rack of the main pattern drum.

On this short rack of the main pattern drum, the main raising switch is moved in to a position where it just misses the .270 butt needles, but is in position to engage the .300 butt needles. The cylinder is still reciprocating and the widened gusset 25 is now made. At each oscillation one of the lifter picks lifts one .240 butt needle on each side out of action before the dropper begins to pick down. The net effect of the lifter pick and the dropper pick is to increase the number of active needles, and thus picking continues until only eighteen .270 butt needles of the last .270

' group remain inactive, and seventeen .270 butt needles of the first .270 group remain inactive.

until all the .270 butt needles and eight .240 butt needles are lifted on the left-hand side of the cylinder, and all the .270 butt needles and seven of the .240 butt needles are lifted on the righthand side of the cylinder. The knitting has then reached the point 0 on the suture l2 between the first and second narrowed gussets. In order to prepare to knit the first course of the gusset II, which course extends from the point (i to the point I) to the point 0, all the needles on the short butt side are switched down and all but the .270 and .240 butt needles are raised again.

The knitting of the second tapered gusset ll then begins and the lifter pick gradually picks up all the .270 butt needles and twelve .240 butt needles on the left side, and all the .270 and eleven .240 butt needles on the right side. The knitting has now reached point e, thus completing gusset To prepare for the knitting of the last widened gusset Hi, all the needles are then switched down and all except the .270 and .240 butt needles are raised again, as was done just before beginning the narrowed segment I I, The gusset I9 is made by widening to form the suture 2. To do this, eight .300 butt needles 0n the left side and nine .300 butt needles on the right side of the cylinder are picked down into action. This brings the active needles to the point g and the machine then racks 01f the heel. By looking at Fig. 4 it will be seen that the point 9, which is the point of greatest extent of the suture 20 of the last widened gusset I9, is say two needles short of the point 11, where the protective courses 3 and 4 terminate. As a result, their strengthening construction extends beyond the end of the suture and avoids formation of holes at that point. It will be observed that the light leg fabric is separated from the suture lines and their ends, as well as tying together the separated ends of the two main sutures l2 and [5.

It will be seen that the formation of the inner ends of the gusset takes place entirely on the needles which in Fig. 4 are marked Group 2, and that Group I, which is not involved in the heel, constitutes more than half the needles in the machine. It will be observed that with the distribution of the sutures and these strengthening courses in a small heel, a radial distribution and concatenation of the stresses is obtained which give a distribution of strain that is more efficient than in the ordinary stocking. At the same time, of course, the stocking is one which is suitable for wear with a low slipper-type of shoe.

I claim:

1. In a circular knit stocking, a heel in which there is present a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, one of said gussets containing more wales in a plurality of courses than the longest course of a tapered gusset above it, whereby there is continuity of plain fabric from the instep of the stocking into the lower gusset, in combination with a plurality of strengthening partial courses in the heel lying entirely between the last circular knit course of the leg and the rest of the heel, one such course being interknit to the inner ends of all the tapered gussets in the heel.

2. In a circular knit stocking having a heel containing less than half the wales of the leg, a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, one of said gussets containing more wales in a plurality of courses than the longest course of a tapered gusset above it, whereby there is a continuity of plain fabric from the instep of stocking into the lower gusset, in combination with a plurality of strengthening partial courses in the heel lying entirely between the last circular knit course of the leg and the rest Of the heel, one such course being interknit to the inner ends of all the tapered gussets in the heel and extending beyond the gussets into the instep fabric a short distance.

3. In a circular knit stocking, a heel in which there is present a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, two of such gussets being progressively narrowed and having a suture along the sole side of each gusset, the lower of said two narrowed gussets containing more wales in a plurality of courses than any course in the upper narrowed gusset, whereby there is no suture joining the inner ends of the two sutures on the sole sides of said two gussets, in combination with courses of continuous heavy yarn extending around the heel side of the stocking in contact with the inner ends of said two sutures and between the last circular knit course of the leg and all the said gussets, thereby strengthening the stocking across the plain fabric between the two sutures.

4. In a circular knit stocking having a heel containing less than half the wales of the leg, a

plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, two of such gussets being progressively narrowed and having a suture along the sole side of each gusset, the lower of said two narrowed gussets containing more wales in a plurality of courses than any course in the upper narrowed gusset, whereby there is no suture joining the inner ends of the two sutures on the sole sides of said two gussets, in combination with course of continuous heavy yarn extending around the heel side of the stocking in contact with the inner ends of said two sutures and between the last circular knit course of the leg and all the said gussets and extending beyond the gussets into the instep for a short distance.

5, .In a circular knit stocking, a heel in which there is present a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, two of said gussets having sutures facing the instep fabric, there being a gusset between said two gussets having plain fabric extending into the instep between said sutures, in combination with a plurality of partial courses of continuous thread heavier than the leg yarn extending around the upper edge of the heel joining together the sutures of the gussets which face the instep fabric.

'6. In a circular knit stocking having a heel containing less than half the wales of the leg, a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, two of said gussets having suture facin the instep fabric, there being a gusset between said two gussets having plain fabric extending into the instep between said sutures, in combination with a plurality of partial courses of continuous thread heavier than the leg yarn extending around the upper edge of the heel joining together the sutures of the adjacent gussets which face the instep fabric and extending beyond the gussets into the instep for a short distance.

'7. In a circular knit stocking having a leg knit of one yarn and a heel knit of a heavier yarn, two progressively narrowed gussets arranged one below the other in the heel, said gussets each having less than half the wales in the leg, and the lower gusset containing more wales in one or more courses adjacent the upper gusset than the longest course in said upper gusset, whereby the inner ends of the suture lines between the two gussets and between the lower gusset and the fabric adjacent it on the toe side are separated, in combination with a plurality of partial courses of continuous yarn heavier than the leg yarn extending around the upper edge of the heel and joining the inner ends of the two sutures, one of said courses being connected throughout its length .to the last circular knit course.

8. In a method of making circular knit hosiery, the steps of knitting a leg and then knitting a heel by reciprocatory knitting by the steps of knitting two or more partial courses of yarn heavier than the leg yarn around the heel side of the stocking connected to the last circular knit course of the leg, and immediately thereafter knitting a plurality of tapered gussets and interknitting each with the last heavy yarn course referred to, the inner ends of two sutures of such gussets being spaced from each other and the heavier yarn courses stretching between such inner ends.

9. In a method of making circular knit hosiery from top to toe, the steps of making a heel on less than half the needles of the leg, comprising knitting a plurality of partial courses around the heel side of the stocking, knitting a gusset which 0 is interknit with the last such partial course by a progressively tapered portion, subsequently knitting a widened gusset to an adjacent part of that course by stitches which leave plain fabric from the instep into the heel and thereafter knitting a gusset to the next adjacent part of that course by a progressively tapered portion.

10. In a method of making circular knit hosiery from top to toe, the steps of making a heel comprising knitting a plurality of partial courses around the heel side of the stocking, knitting a gusset which is interknit with the last such partial course by a suture, subsequently knitting a widened gusset to the adjacent part of that course by wales in direct continuation of wales in the partial courses and thereafter knitting a gusset to the next adjacent part of that course by a suture.

11. In a method of making circular knit hosiery from top to toe, the steps of making a heel on less than half the needles of the leg, comprising knitting a plurality of partial courses around the heel side of the stocking, knitting a gusset which is interknit with the last such partial course by a suture, subsequently knitting a widened gusset to the adjacent part of that course by wales in direct continuation of wales in the partial courses and thereafter knitting a gusset t the next adjacent part of that course'by a suture, the suture of said last-mentioned gusset terminating a few stitches short of the ends of the partial courses.

12. In a method of making circular knit hosiery from top to toe, the steps of making a heel comprising knitting a plurality of partial courses around the heel side of the stocking, knitting a gusset which is interknit with the last such partial course by a suture, knittin two progressively narrowed gussets in succession with a suture between them touching the last partial course, the second such gusset being knit with a few extra wales on each end of the group, which extra wales are in direct continuation of wales in the partial courses, andthereafter knitting a progressively tapered gusset with a suture between it and the second narrowed gusset whose end touches the last partial course, and said last tapered gusset having a suture formed between it and the last partial course.

13. In a method of making circular knit hosiery from top to toe, the steps of makin a heel on less than half the needles of the leg, comprising knitting a plurality of partial courses around the heel side of the stocking, knitting a gusset which is interknit with the last such partial course by a suture, knitting two progressivel narrowed gussets in succession with a suture between them touching the last partial course, the second such gusset being knit with a few extra wales on each end of the group which extra wales are in direct continuation of wales in the partial courses, and thereafter knitting a progressively tapered gusset with a suture between it and the second narrowed gusset whose end touches the last partial course, and said last tapered gusset having a suture formed between it and the last partial course, the suture of said last-mentioned gusset terminating a few stitches short of the ends of the partial courses.

14. In a circular knit stocking, a heel in which there is present a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, one of said gussets containing more wale in a plurality of courses than the longest course of a tapered gusset above it, whereby there is continuity of plain fabric from the instep of the stocking into the lower gusset, in combination with a plurality of reinforcing partial courses in the heel lying entirely between the leg and the heel, one such course directly connecting the last circular knit course to the inner ends of the junctures of the heel gussets and to the wales of the gussets on both sides of said junctures,

15. In a circular knit stocking, a heel in which there is present a plurality of tapered gussets arranged one below the other, each contiguous to the instep fabric, two of such gussets being progressively narrowed and having a suture along the sole side of each gusset, the lower of said two narrowed gussets containing more wales in a plurality of courses than any course in the upper narrowed gusset, whereby there i no suture joining the inner ends of the two sutures on the sole sides of said two gussets, in combination with 10 partial courses of continuous heavy yarn lying entirely between the circular knit courses of the leg and the heel and in contact with the inner ends of said two sutures and a plurality of wales of the gussets on both sides of said sutures, thereby strengthening the heel.

HARRY N. SHEPPARD.

REFERENCES CITED The iollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,512 Shaw June 2, 1891 450,655 White Apr. 21, 1891 1,798,804 Parker Mar. 31, 1931 2,388,649 Sheppard Nov. 6, 1945 2,170,076 Houseman Aug. 22, 1939 

